Rarity pondered the question thoughtfully. "To be frank Doctor no I don't think they would. I mean I have known Octavia for a year or so and I doubt she'd be friends with a creep. And as For Dr. G well he saved my life and was kind even when I was complaining on the trip here and it took about a week to travel to where we met the others. He even stood up and defended some pony who he didn't know too well on the stance that everyone deserves a second chance. I don't know what he said exactly to upset you but although very opinionated and justice seeking to a fault Dr. G is not bad. He's actually too honest sometimes. Why do you ask?" Rarity asked.

Soothing Needles nodded then sighed. "I think he made a pass at me." She admitted, her face reddening slightly. "And its not like..." She trailed off then started again, "Its just, he has been the first person I have meet in this world, human or pony who I really felt like would have been happy to be friends with if even if I weren't tapped with them." Soothing Needles did not seem to notice mildly offended looks on Rarity and Colgate's faces as she went on, "And then he helped me get out of that dame camp and has been very nice to me... But not I am not sure if he is just playing nice to try and... get something from me."

Rarity was slightly offended at Soothing Needles's comment but decided in the interest of comardery to let it slide. "Made a pass at you? As in? Really that is most unusual. But I will say this. Dr. G is very simple what you see is what you get. He is loyal incredibly brave and hard headed at times but always genuine. I mean his disdain for Prometheus and D almost got us arrested in that camp of yours. If he said something he very well meant it." Rarity said pausing. "And you don't seem as offended at the pass." If I may be Frank Darling.

"Hey," Colgate pipped up from Cameron's back, "Don't talk to Rarity like that, whoever you are!"

Soothing Needles sighed, "Right, I am sorry, but I assure you, I am not happy with the idea that..." She rubbed her face. "Look, its not about weather or not I even-" She coughed, "I mean, its just that even if you think that he is a good person, the point stands that he just jumped at the chance to help me and as soon as we where out he was telling me I was beautiful and wanting to pet me mane..." She unconsciously ran a hoof over her mane. "I mean, its been while since someone complimented me like that, but that dose not change the fact that, intentionally or unintentionally your friend has just conferred that if its not my medical skills someone is after, its my body."

"Well of all the people to be coveting your body I don't think it would be Dr. G. I mean he kinda has a thing about ponies. Let's just say he witnessed a terrible death before the world ended and not long after lost that special someone he cared about. I doubt he would just use you for your body. He must see something in you behind that front you put up. Why would Dr. G use you. Actually come to think of it I'm not sure he understands what petting a pony from Equestria means. Remember this world has a different culture and kind of horse here. Don't be upset he's a good person." Rarity said trying her best to soothe the doctor.

Soothing Needles brushed her eyes and glowered at the ground. "I know about the cultural differences. I spent the last few weeks living with a bunch of grabby, stupid idiots who talked to us like equals, but treated us like fragile pets. Its not his request that... offends me, its the fact that he asked it." She shook her head. "Honestly, I... Sorta of think he is a little... Cutie for a hairless ape with a medical degree." She sighed, "But that doesn't matter. It dose not matter what he looks like or how kind he is trying to be or any of that."

Soothing Needles look at Rarity with a tiered expression on her face. "Ever since this started I have been a prisoner of circumstance. I was saved because some humans liked that I was a pony, then I was kept safe because like that I was a doctor, then I was rescued, apparently because some one thinks I am beautiful or maybe because they like my personality?" She laughed a little bitterly at that last thought, "Or maybe, just because he's lonely and sad and feels like a hero saving a damsel from an evil tower. But whatever the reason, I am still just being moved around and 'helped' by people who want something from me because of what I am."

Colgate leaned over to Cameron and whispered, "Hey, I dare you to ask her if not acting like a bitch will make ponies stop treating her like one." Then she giggled and put a hoof over her face, "Oh man, I get why you smoke that stuff now!"

"Perhaps he was just being nice!" Rarity said aid losing her temper a little. She Regained her composure. "Not everything is about you. Perhaps he saw how miserable you were and thought getting you out would make you happy. Perhaps he was treating you as his equal not something to be protected and guarded like a trophy." Rarity then shook her head. "Wait you just called him cute! Aha! You are trying to find excuses why you shouldn't like him! That's denial." Rarity concluded. She braced herself either this would break Soothing Needles or get her angry again.

Soothing Needles glared, "I don't care if he is cute or not! I care about the fact that I am sick and tiered of being treated as an prize or a resource!" She poked Rarity in the chest hard enough to force the other pony back a step. "You think I am being unfair to him? You think I am just looking for an excuse not to like him? Go rut yourself!" Scootaloo gasped as Rainbow Dash covered her ears.

"I hate this world, not just earth, but everything that has happened since the old world ended! Maybe I wasn't a prettiest pony or nice pony or a pony that was everyone's friend, but everything I did was something I wanted or that I chose to deal with!" Her watery eyes flashed, "And now what am I? Everypony wants me for one reason or another and I have everything made easy because of it, so everypony just has to put up with me long enough to get what they want!" Soothing Needles's face was pressed almost against Rarity's as the rest of the group stared.

Rarity locked eyes with Soothing Needles. "You know what fine! Be miserable be a victim! But in this Case no pony wanted you. Dr. G isn't the only one who has a say in this group we all do! But He risked all of our lives for some reason he saw something in you. What he saw exactly I'm not sure! Rarity stomped on the ground. He saved me when I was hurt with no benefit to him. I am his friend because I choose to be not because I owe him anything although truth be told I wouldn't be here and neither would Colgate were it not for Dr. G." Rarity gave Soothing Needles an angry look and growled. "You don't deserve a kind person like him! And to think the irony is the one time he went back on his word it bit him in the flank! I'm sorry Doctor but you need to realize what you are throwing away here. It sounds like you had something you just too afraid to pursue it. That's a shame. I guarentee you however that to this team you were and are more of liability then anything else. So I suggest you put on your saddle and grow up. Here is my actual question since you're a commodity an asset what exactly do you bring to this team that we don't have? We have a doctor a mechanic several unicorns and the fastest and most loyal flier in Equestria. So ask yourself if I am such a liability why would he bother to rescue me and then ask yourself this what could he possibly get from you that he doesn't already have?" Rarity finished glaring angrily at Dr. Soothing Needles.

Soothing Needles recoiled as is Rarity has slapped her. "How dare you?" She spluttered, "Do you have any idea..." She turned and made as if to stalk off, before noticing everyone else straying at her. She turned back to Rarity with an angry scowl, though her eyes where once more brimming with tears. "I don't know what sort of sheltered life you have had here, but if you think for even a minute that your going to guilt me into just doing what someone says, you have another thing coming!" She looked from Rarity to Colgate, "No one dose anything in this world out of the kindness of there harts. Not anymore. You keep me because I can save her legs and have saved her life after your doctor's inexperience with ponies almost lead to her death. And he save me because he thinks that he likes me." She turned back to Rarity, "And you help her because you want her and they help both of you because they don't want to be alone."

Soothing Needles swept a hoof around the group, pointing it at each human and pony in turn. "You all seem to think that where all here because there is some sort of bound holding all of you together, loyalty or friendship or whatever, but your wrong. We are all just selfishly trying to get what we can from one another because in this new world, none of us are able to be interdependent or altruistic anymore!" She looked back at Rarity. "That's why he bothered rescuing a liability."

Rarity was about to reply when Dr. G who had been following the conversation very quietly apoached the group. He had a feeling that Rarity was right Dr. Soothing Needles was clearly upset. Dr. G looked Dr. Soothing Needles in the eyes. "I've been listening to your complaints quietly and I am very disappointed in you. I get it you've been hurt and used a lot. But remember it was your idea to leave camp. You asked me for help. Not the other way around. Whether I like you despite your attitude is neither here nor there. These are extraneous details that you have put more weight on than they merit. You also had an ulterior motive for coming along. I just am polite enough to not bring it up. And I'm sorry I thought I could trust you. I'm sorry that you're in denial and I'm sorry that life was unkind to you. But I wasn't and neither was anyone else in this camp. Now if you must know my wife died two and a half weeks ago. In fact all I thought I had in you was a friend someone I can relate to I'm sorry for burdening you." Dr. G said walking forward. He turned to Scootaloo. About how much further to The portal? Because I don't know how much more of this I can take." He asked trying to hide the wetness in his eyes that seeped out.

"Where pretty close." Scootaloo said, looking uncomfortable. "I think its just another half an hour down the road and we will be in the White Tail Woods." She looked longingly down the road. "D went in there, but when he came back out he said it was not appropriate for fillies." She looked down. "I think he meant allot of ponies died there, so even though its close to home, we never went back."

The small group pushed on for a few minutes before Scootaloo piped up, "Why did you help her?" She gestured back at Soothing Needles who had fallen back several yards behind the end of the line. "She's never nice to anypony." Scootaloo frowned, a look of clear dislike crossing her young face. "When everypony else was rescued they where happy or at least wanted to help, but she was just really quite, until she got hurt and by the time she got better, she was just mean all the time!"

A little ways back Colgate comforted Rarity. "That was pretty crazy." She whispered, wincing a little as her senses and the pain returned, "Remind me to never get on your bad side, alright?"

Dr. G blinked away some angry tears. "That's an awfully big question to ask for a little Filly. But I imagine you've had to do some growing up since this mess started. I don't know Scootaloo I just saw her all miserable and I saw how Prometheus was treating her and he threatened her and I didn't want her to get hurt. Wait you said she got hurt before? How?" Dr. G asked the filly concerned.

Scootaloo shrugged. "I don't think she has been happy since I have known her and she doesn't seem all that much more happy now." She looked back, frowning a little, "If anything, she just seems sadder and anger then ever."

She returned her attention to G. "Oh, ya not long after she came to us. She didn't really talk to anypony for a real long time and Prometheus got really worried about her. That was before D left and he started acting all weird. Anyway, one day she left the fort and Prometheus got scared and went after her. When he came back, she was covered in blood!" Scootaloo shivered at the memory. "She almost died, nopony wanted to admit it, but I think everypony knew. When she got better, she and Prometheus got in a big fight and he told everyone that she was not allowed to leave anymore, for any reason. After that, she was just mean to everypony all the time."

"I wonder if she was where Fancy Pants was..." Dr. G mused aloud. "Also she kinda reminds me of my wife and there was a moment actually a few moments when I didn't feel like I was being judged and she was gentle when she was teaching me about medicine. " And..." His voice lowered "She is kinda Cute when she isn't yelling." He said in whisper.

Rarity was still cooling off from Dr. Soothing Needle's argument. "It's just he deserves a fair chance... And she's kinda being a bitch for no reason. Wonder what stick is up her flank!" Rarity said to Colgate in a very unladylike manner. Meanwhile

Soothing Needles trailed behind lost in her thoughts she seemed almost regretful at her words. The group entered the portal into Equetria unsure of what they would find.